Device for the production of smoked meat and sausages



March 29, 1960 H. POPPENBURG DEVICE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF SMOKED MEATAND SAUSAGES Filed July 7, 1955 a n 2 8 Ma 2. 41,. 5 I 4- w I! I! m 3 aa F M 8 .b 4 z ll I m HI n Hmn F F Tm 2 DEVICE FOR THE PRODUCTION OFSMOKED MEAT AND SAUSAGES Hans Poppenhurg, Borgholzhausen, GermanyApplication July 7, 1955, Serial No. 520,559

2 Claims. 01. 99-261) This invention relates to a process and a devicefor the production of smoked meat and sausages. r f Treatments of thistype are generally performed in smoking chambers, smoking towers andboxes. The goods to be smoked are entered into the smoking chamherswhile being'supported upon spears or other suitable carriers.

If chambers or hollow shafts for the smoking of the articles are used,the latter are upwardly and downwardly moved in these chambers by meansof revolving chains. The required'smoking heat is produced eitherdirectly beneath the suspended articles or in adjacent chambers. Therequired heat is passed into the lateral or the lower partof the smokingchambers by natural draft or by a blower. All the hitherto known smokingchambers have the disadvantage of 'a non-uniform treatment of the goods;consequently, the presmoked articles remain longer in the smokingchambers than is desired; the quality and the appearance of the smokedgoods suffers accordingly and insufficiently smoked parts of the goodsare easily exposed to waste. I

It is the object of the invention to eliminate these'disadvantages. 9 v

With these these objectsin view adevice for usein smoke treating ofarticles such as meat and sausages according to the present applicationcomprises in combination a vertical elongated chamber structure,v a doorin the chamber'structure adapted to be closed during the smoke treatingoperation and adapted to be opened, when desired, smoke supply meansoperable for delivering smoke to the lower portion of the chamberstructure and forcing the smoke in an upward direction through thechamber structure, a circular graterotatable in opposite directionsabout a vertical axis and disposed above the lower portion of the.chamber structure, suspension means for the articles to be treateddisposed on the grate and rotatable therewith about said axis, thesuspension means including two stands, each positioned within one-halfof the area of the grate.- Also provided are supporting means forsupporting the stands onthe grate comprising a pair of rails for eachstand so arranged onthe grate and so disposed relative to the door saidone stand may be moved on its pair of rails to and from its position onthe grate through the door when the grate is in a predetermined positionand, respectively, the other of the stands may be so moved when thegrate has been rotated for one-half turn from said predeterminedposition. Single driving means are provided-for continuously rotatingthe grate about its vertical axis in either one of the oppositedirections through any desired number of revolutions and means forreversing the direction of the drive of the driving means so as toreverse continuous rotation of the grate in the vertical elongatedchamber while the same is closed during the smoke treating operation. Inthis manner articles to be treated will be moved alternatingly inopposite directions transversely of the upward direction of movement ofthe smoke, when desired.

These smoking gases are circuited through the treating chamber wherebyan essential saving of fuel and a shortening of the treating timeresults. The articles treated in conformity with the invention have auniform color and a surprising preserving capacitywhich is important fortheir durability, as well as the durability of preserves made thereof. i

The invention will now be described more in detail and with reference tothe accompanyingdrawing In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of the instant device for smokingmeat and articles made thereof;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal cross sectional view on line II-H of Fig. 1;and

Fig. 3 is a horizontal cross sectional view on line IIIIII'of Fig. 1. v

The cylindrical smoke furnace or chamber l has an inner heat insulatinglayer 2.- The furnace is provided with a horizontal grate 3. The smokeis generated from wood, saw mill waste, saw dust and similar materials.

A'smoke generator 4 is located underneath the grate 3.

' A second grate 5 is located above the grate 3; this grate 5 isrotatable about a vertical center shaft 8. The grate 5 is driven bymeans of a pair of pinions 9, a shaft 10 and a multiple change-speedgear 11 from a reversible electromotor 12. The change-speed gear 11 andthe reversible motor 12, which are located outside of the furnace 1,enable the driving of the grate 5 in both opposite directions and withdifierent speeds. Rollers 6 supporting the grate 5 are uniformlydistributed at the inner'sur face of the chamber or furnace 1, theserollers being car ried by a ring 7 that is fastened to the inner wall ofthe furnace The furnace chamber 1 is so situated that the rotatablegrate 5 is located at the height of the floor 13 or any other platform.Inthe'space above the rotatable grate 5 which may be entered through anairtight closable door 14 (Fig. 2) there are placed the supports orstands 15 for the articles to be smoked. Rollers 16 of the stands 15travel on parallel rails '17, said rails forming U-shaped supports.v Anair outlet tube 19 and an aircirculating conduit or tube 20 areconnectedwith smoke outlet stack 18 each of said tubes'being adaptedto bealternatively closed by a flap 21.

The conduit 20 leads to the suction connection 22 of a blower 23, thelatter being connected with a conduit 24 for fresh air. One of theconduits 20 and '24 may be closed by a flap 25 while the other one iskept open. 'A"

conduit 26 leads from the blower 23, and a heater" 27 is built into theconduit 26. Conduit 26 leads into an annulartube 28, Fig. 3, whichsurrounds the smoke generator 4 and is provided withinwardly directed.air exits 29. The smoking gases expelled through the exits 29 will moveupwardly. I

The above described arrangement makes it possible to suck throughblower23 the fresh air supplied by conduit 24 and the smoke produced bygenerator 4. This is achieved ,by closing the discharge conduit 19 andblowing air and smoke from below into the furnace, whereby a continuouscircuit is obtainable. Any cooling of the device is reduced to a minimumby the insulation 2 of the. furnace 1 and the insulation of tubes 20 and26. The unavoidable heat loss by the heating of the treated articles andtheir supports is compensated for by the heater 27, whereby thetemperature in the interior of thefurnace may be accurately controlled.The device enables the generation of the required quantity of smoke byconsumption of a surprisingly small amount of fuel such as wood or sawdust. Consequently Q i from the same.

In certain cases it is desirable to combine with the addition of smoketo the air an admixture of steam. This admixture of steam may beobtained by repeatedly conducting the steam released from the treatedmaterials through the blower 23 while the supply of fresh'air 24 and theair exit 19 is completely closed by the flaps 21 and 2.5. In this mannerthe pores for the reception of the preserving smoke vapours may be keptopen for any desired time. If the treatment with steam is to be carriedout at the conclusion of the smoking treatment a nozzle a i I 2,9so,s'

may used for this purpose or steam maybe entered from the outside. c

The instant smoking furnace is successfully applicable to thehot smokingof canned sausages. For such a process, it is advisable to operate thelast two thirds of the smoking procedure under maintenance of relativelylittle air moisture. This object is obtained by-circulating during thisperiod of smoking only the dry air produced in the heater 27.

The articles to be smoked are turned in the furnace during the entiresmoking procedure and the direction of rotation of the grate 5 ispreferably changed at certain time periods by a change of the polarityof the motor 12, whereby a uniform coloring and preservation is attainedof the treated articles. The rotational speed of the grate 5 may beadjusted by the gear 11.

Upon termination of the smoking process the air discharge conduit 19 isopened by shifting of the closure flap 21, whereby the smoke containedin the apparatus may escape through conduit 19. Now thedoor 14 is'openedand the smoked articles removed from the stand 15 without theworking'personnel being exposed to the smoke.

Hereupon the furnace is again charged, the door 14 closed and thesmoking procedure started again.

The smoke generator 4 may be positioned outside of the furnace. In thiscase the smoke and the hot air are conducted into the lower part of thefurnace by a common conduit.

Since certain changes in carrying out the above invention could be madewithout departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all mattercontained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawingsshall be interpreted as illustrativeand not inalimiting sense.

It is accordingly desired that in construing the breadth of the appendedclaims they shall not be limited to the specific exemplifications of theinvention described herein.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire tobe secured by Letters Patent, is as fol lows:

1. A device, for use in smoke treating of articles such as meat andsausages, comprising in combination, a vertical elongated chamberstructure; a door in said chamber structure adapted to be closed duringthe smoke treating operation and adapted to be opened, when desired;smoke supply means operable for delivering smoke to the lower portion ofsaid chamber structure and forcing the smoke in an upward directionthrough the chamber structure; a circular grate rotatable in oppositedirections about a vertical axis and disposed above said lower portionof said chamber structure; suspension means for the articles to betreated disposed on said grate and rotatable therewith about said axis,said suspension means including two stands, each positioned withinone-half of the area of said grate; means for supporting said stands onsaid grate comprising a pair of rails for each stand so arranged on saidgrate and so disposed relative to said door so that one stand may bemoved on its pair of rails to and from its position on the grate throughsaid door when said grate is in a predetermined position and,respectively, the other of said stands may be so movedwhen said gratehas been rotated for one-half turn from said predetermined position;single driving means for continuously rotating said grate about saidvertical axis in either one of said opposite directions through anydesired number of revolotions; and means for reversing the direction ofthe drive of said driving means so as to reverse continuous rotation ofsaid grate in said vertical elongated chamber while the same is closedduring the smoke treating operation, whereby said articles to be treatedwill be moved alternatingly in opposite directions transversely of saidupward direction of movement of said smoke, when desired.

2. A device, for use in smoke treating of articles such as meat andsausages, comprising in combination, a vertical elongated chamberstructure; a door in said chamber structure adapted to be closed duringthe smoke treating operation and adapted to be opened, when desired;smoke supply means operable for delivering smoke to the lower portion ofsaid chamber structure and forcing the smoke in an upward directionthrough the chamber structure; a.

- circular grate having supporting means including an annular flangesecured in said'chamber, and a series of rollers between said grate andsaid flange, said flange forming a track for said rollers, said circulargrate being rotatable in opposite directions about a vertical axis anddisposed above said lower portion of said chamber structure; suspensionmeans for the articles to be treated disposed on said grate androtatable therewith about said axis; single driving means forcontinuously rotating said grate about said vertical axis in either oneof said opposite directions through any desired number of revolutions;and means for reversing the direction of drive of said driving means soas to reverse continuous rotation of said grate in said verticalelongated chamber while the same is closed during the smoke treatingoperation, whereby said articles to be treated will be movedalternatively in opposite directions transversely of said upwarddirection of movement of said smoke, when desired.

References'Cited in thefile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

